Poinsettia plant named ‘Eckaban’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘Eckaban’, characterized by its large showy bright red bracts that are held slightly upright and are flat to slightly concave; relatively early flowering; response time about 8.5 weeks; freely flowering habit; dark green leaves with red purple petioles; upright, spreading and mounding plant habit; very freely branching habit; and excellent postproduction longevity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofPoinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Eckaban’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Encinitas, Calif. The objective of the program is tocreate new Poinsettia cultivars having interesting bract and leafdisplay, color and form; strong and freely branching stems; and goodpostproduction longevity.

The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the Inventor of thePoinsettia cultivar ‘559’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,773, asthe male, or pollen parent, with the proprietary selection identified asP-50 as the female, or seed parent.

The cultivar ‘Eckaban’ was discovered and selected by the Inventor as aflowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlledenvironment in Encinitas, Calif. in December, 1996.

Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by terminal cuttings taken atEncinitas, Calif., has shown that the unique features of this newPoinsettia are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Eckaban’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Eckaban’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Large showy bright red bracts that are held slightly upright and areflat to slightly concave.

2. Relatively early flowering; response time is about 8.5 weeks.

3. Freely flowering.

4. Dark green leaves with red purple petioles.

5. Upright, spreading and mounding plant habit.

6. Very freely branching habit.

7. Excellent postproduction longevity.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Encinitas, Calif., plants ofthe new Poinsettia have a brighter bract color and broader bracts thanplants of the female parent, the selection P-50.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Encinitas, Calif., plants ofthe new Poinsettia differed from plants of ‘559’ in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Poinsettia flower about one week earlier thanplants of ‘559’.

2. Plants of the new Poinsettia are more freely branching, broader andmore mounding than plants of ‘559’.

3. Plants of the new Poinsettia have larger leaves and longer petiolesthan plants of ‘559’.

4. Plants of the new Poinsettia have larger and more inflorescences perplant than plants of ‘559’.

5. Flower bracts of the new Poinsettia and ‘559’ differ slightly incolor.

Plants of the new Poinsettia can also be compared to plants of thecultivar ‘Peterstar’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,259. However,in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Encinitas, Calif., plants ofthe new Poinsettia differed from plants of ‘Peterstar’ in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Poinsettia are more vigorous than plants of‘Peterstar’.

2. Plants of the new Poinsettia have smoother bracts than plants of‘Peterstar’.

3. Flower bract color of the new Poinsettia is brighter red than flowerbract color of ‘Peterstar’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Poinsettia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.

The photograph at the top of the first sheet comprises a sideperspective view of a typical plant of ‘Eckaban’.

The photograph at the bottom of the first sheet comprises a topperspective view of a typical plant of ‘Eckaban’.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of typical bractsand leaves of ‘Eckaban’ (left) and ‘559’ (right). Bract and foliagecolors in the photographs may differ from actual colors due to lightreflectance.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The new Poinsettia has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype. The followingobservations and measurements describe plants grown in Encinitas,Calif., under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with daytemperatures ranging from 21 to 27° C., night temperatures ranging from18 to 20° C., and light levels about 4,000 foot-candles. Plants weregrown in 16-cm pots, pinched one time, and flowered under naturallylengthening nyctoperiods during the fall/early winter. Plants were about17 weeks old after planting from an unrooted cutting.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ‘Eckaban’.

Parentage:

Male parent.—Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ‘559’, disclosed in U.S. PlantPat. No. 8,773.

Female parent.—Proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd.identified as P-50.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 7 days at 24° C. Winter: About 10days at 22° C.

Time to develop roots.—Summer: About 26 days at 24° C. Winter: About 26days at 22° C.

Root description.—Freely branching, becoming fibrous with development.

Plant description:

Plant form.—Inverted triangle, top of plant rounded; mounding.

Growth habit.—Upright and spreading. Very freely branching. Branching isenhanced by removing the shoot apex. Vigorous.

Plant height.—About 31 cm.

Crop time.—From unrooted cuttings to a flowering plant in a 16-cmcontainer, about 17 weeks are required.

Stem description.—Number of lateral branches: About nine or ten lateralbranches are formed after removal of the terminal apex. Lateral branchlength: About 24.5 cm. Internode length: About 2.25 cm. Stem color: 146Ato 146B.

Foliage description.—Quantity of leaves per lateral branch: About 7.Length: About 13 cm. Width: About 8.5 cm. Shape: Mostly ovate,occasionally lobed. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Acute to obtuse. Margin:Entire. Texture: Dull; slight pubescence on lower surface. Color: Youngfoliage, upper surface: 146A. Young foliage, lower surface: 147C. Maturefoliage, upper surface: 147A. Mature foliage, lower surface: 147B.Venation, upper surface: 147C. Venation, lower surface: 147B. Petiole:Length: About 5.25 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Color: 59A.

Inflorescence description:

Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound corymbs ofcyathia with colored flower bracts subtending the cyathia.

Natural flowering season.—Autumn/winter in Northern Hemisphere. Flowerinitiation and development can be induced under long nyctoperiodconditions. Response time is about 8.5 weeks.

Quantity of inflorescences.—One per lateral branch, usually about nineor ten per plant.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 32 cm. Height (depth): About 5 cm.

Flower bracts.—Quantity of flower bracts per inflorescence: Usuallyabout 14 primary bracts and about 6 smaller secondary bracts perinflorescence. Length, largest bracts: About 14 cm. Width, largestbracts: About 8 cm. Shape: Mostly ovate; largest bracts may be lobed.Apex: Acuminate. Base: Acute to attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture:Smooth. Aspect: Held slightly upright; flat to slightly concave. Color:Developing, upper surface: 45A. Developing, lower surface: 45C. Mature,upper surface: 45A. Mature, lower surface: 45C.

Cyathia.—Quantity: Usually about 10 per corymb. Diameter of cyathiacluster: About 2 by 2.5 cm. Length: About 9 mm. Width: About 5 mm.Color: Immature: 144A to 144B. Mature: 144B. Peduncle: Length: About 5mm. Aspect: Strong, erect. Color: 144B. Stamens: Stamen number: Three tofive with numerous stamenoids per cyathium. Anther length: Less than 1mm. Anther shape: Oval. Anther color: 46A. Amount of pollen: Scarce.Pollen color: 7A. Pistils: None. Nectaries: Nectary quantity: One percyathium. Nectary color: 7A.

Disease resistance: Plants of the new Poinsettia have shown goodresistance to Botrytis.

Postproduction longevity: Excellent; generally plants maintain goodsubstance and bract color for about eight weeks under interiorconditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named‘Eckaban’, as illustrated and described.